Don't want to hijack but thought I'd give some first hand experience of how shoplifting shouldn't be considered a victimless crime.
Whilst I was sat waiting for the police in the store security officer's room, I remember the shop assistant who'd 'busted' me looking utterly distraught and horrified. I couldn't understand why she looked so angry, so I asked her. She rightly spoke to me like I was something she'd stepped in, then explained that they get dozens of shoplifters weekly (this was a big department store) and that I was disgusting, and why didn't I think of other people like her before I did it.
The security officer then explained that this particular store doesn't 'absorb' losses from their profits, any losses are taken out of the staff's bonuses, because their lack of vigilance contributes to losses apparently. So she was angry she was losing her Christmas bonus.
So the poster who said she steals occasionally because 'the company can afford it' is very wrong.
As for publishing shoplifting Mums in the school newsletter or local press as a deterrent...it won't work. People shoplift for different reasons and many are professionals so really don't care, it's their source of income, and they're proud of their reputation.
Mine was a one-off and I think I wanted to be caught. If the policewomen hadn't recognised me through my recent DV call outs, perhaps the arresting officer wouldn't have believed my explanation about why I did it being connected to that, that I wanted to be arrested, I felt invisible, I wanted to escape from everything and even being in a cell or prison was preferable to me at that time in my life.
I went back to the store a few days later and tried to apologise to the shopgirl and security officer, but she didn't believe a word I was saying of course. I expect they've heard all sorts of excuses before.
As for OP, your claims about living a 'normal, happy life' don't correlate.
You mean to say you got in that car with a sense of exciting, dangerous frisson knowing you were breaking the law?
Or did you get in it all blasé thinking, 'Pah. So what. I'm not insured. I'm being illegal. So what'.
Because neither of those are the actions of a 'normal, happy person'. 'Normal' law abiding citizens would be terrified of getting caught in an uninsured car, and terrified of being caught shoplifting.
Whatever's behind your apathy means there's more to this story and that kind of apathy, and getting away with it lightly as you surely will if this is a first offence, means you will do it again. That's how regular shoplifting starts.
What does your husband think? ...